I believe that successful leadership is best accomplished by example. The quote “do as I say, not as I do” is a phrase that is said in times of avoidance of leadership by example. The fact that this phrase is heard so often is unfortunate, and shows that there are many times and circumstances that the population does not want to take responsibility for themselves or others. This is one of the reasons that leadership by example is so influential. This is my vision for my chosen career of teaching.
I am a fifth year Education student at Trinity Western University. I have a major in Human Kinetics, a concentration in Education and half a minors worth of classes in French. This allows me to teach as a high school teacher and I am currently active in meeting my goal of being a Physical Education teacher. Since the age of five, I have been involved in many sports, playing and coaching, and some of the best memories from my life stem from these experiences. Yes, winning the Fraser Valley Championships in volleyball, many provincial championships in softball and admirable standings in National Championships are all amazing accomplishments, however, it is not these accomplishments that have shaped my thinking and love for the sports I play. It is through the unity of a team and relationships that are built that my most cherished memories have been made. In my time at Trinity, I have delved into the realm of physical fitness and specializing in women’s fitness. On the teams that I have coached and the teams I have been apart of, I have seen many self esteems be crushed and potentials be halted. It breaks my heart to see that someone as influential as a coach or teammate use their power to belittle and destroy other’s self confidence, mental and emotional stability as well as potential. I have also experienced this myself. As a young softball player, I attended many summer camps and training sessions throughout the year, not only to become better but to stay involved and play my heart out because I loved the sport so much. I pushed myself very hard and put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best that I could be. I strived for excellence and would accept nothing less from myself. The coaches and training advisers saw this spark and worked especially hard with me and pushed me just as hard. It was because of this training and attention that I had specific sport features that were admirable to any team. I was of small stature and very quick which was perfect for base running. I attacked base running with an aggressiveness that pushed bases to score runs. Also, I was able to bat from the right hand side and the left hand side of the batter’s box which made me valuable in pinch situations where it was important to use specialty ideas such as different forms of bunting. I also had an abnormally strong throwing arm, or “a canon” as the softball world would say, which made me able to defend from any position. This was a time that I was feeling pretty good about my abilities and hard work – until it all came crashing down. I received a call from one of my trainers suggesting that I should go to the try outs for the rep softball team because I had what it takes to make it and play higher caliber softball. So, I went to the try outs, I played my heart out and performed the best I had ever performed. Later that week, I received a call from the rep coach saying that I had not made the team. Now, this was not the big deal. It was the words that came after this that crushed my spirits. She began to tell me that I had potential to be a decent player – not so bad of a compliment. But then proceeded to tell me that I will never be good enough, that I was too small to play high caliber softball, that I would never become a player that a team would take because I was not as good a player as everyone said I was. I immediately thanked her for her time and the opportunity and hung up the phone. I proceeded to cry and I remember very well with my head in my hands, the ringing and repetition of, “you will never be good enough”. After this call, I never wanted to play softball again. Why try when I will never be good enough? It took me a while to realize that the opinion of one person should not have such an effect on me. My self esteem and confidence were depleted, my sparkle was gone. I finally realized, after some time, that no one should be able to take those from me and if they do, then I certainly do not want them in my future – no matter how much power they hold. I easily rekindled my love for the game and continued playing – remembering that I am the only one that has to be happy and playing softball made me uncontrollably happy. From this point, I vowed to myself that I would always be careful not to eliminate someone else’s sparkle. For females, the sport world can be very cruel and having seen this destruction first hand many a time, makes my fire continually burn to lift up females in the realm of physical fitness whether it be recreational or otherwise. I am passionate about teaching and coaching to the whole person and giving my athletes tools that will not only make them a better teammate and player, but a better person. I never wanted to be a teacher. I remember specifically in grade 5 that I vowed I would never become a teacher. I saw the undying efforts of my teacher do nothing to simmer the chaos of my class and I knew I never wanted to be a ring leader when I grew up. However, in grade 11 I started coaching, and really being involved not only in the continued playing of my chosen sports of softball and volleyball, but with the athletes that I taught. I coached U18 girls volleyball and softball at this time and this was the year that shifted my thinking. I learned the importance of the many pillars of great team making and the trial and error it took to put together a team that possessed poise, courage, loyalty, selflessness and respect. More so, I learned the importance of exemplifying these traits myself, if I wanted my athletes to do the same.
As a leader by example, I believe that these traits are non-negotiable. Poise is the ability to be genuine and authentic, even under adversities and afflictions. It includes balance and self control which in turn, allows the leader to handle stress without enabling the stress to overwhelm them. In teaching, poise is essential. As students age, it is more difficult to fool them with a false façade. Almost immediately in the school year, students will decipher who their teacher is and what they are really like. It is very difficult to fool teenagers and young adults because they now have or have began developing abilities that question authenticity. Authenticity is usually explained by the phrases “be yourself” or “act naturally”. However, this vague description is not a full concept of the word and if teachers are to act accordingly and teach their students the same, the concept needs to delve deeper. Carolin Kreber wrote an article that supports this argument: “as long as authenticity remains only vaguely understood and ill defined…it is…not feasible to articulate a persuasive rationale for why we should be concerned with the phenomenon in the first place.” The latter part of this statement is especially important as teachers and students often ask the question of “why”. Why do we need to know that? Why is this important? Why are we doing this? Authenticity is a complicated idea in the respect that when people define authenticity, there is no answer why other than because it is important to be yourself. Maryellen Weimer wrote an article that articulates Kreber’s argument for delving deeper into authenticity and came up with six domains that explain the what and why of authenticity and poise.
“Being sincere, candid, or honest—When students look at the teacher, they see a genuine reflection of that teacher’s personal identity. They also hear from someone who speaks with candor and integrity.
Being true to oneself—The teacher is a self-aware person who has made a commitment to teaching. This teacher has reflected on the purposes of education and has chosen to teach because educational goals matter. Authenticity here finds expression in consistency between values and actions.
Being true to oneself—Being true in this sense means not being defined by others but using self-knowledge to establish one’s own identity, regardless of how well or poorly it fits with the expectations of others.
Acting in the interests of learners—Authenticity extends beyond the individual. It is other- directed as well. In the case of teachers, it is caring about students and wanting them to flourish. One interviewee described it as the difference between teaching what we are interested in versus teaching what interests us plus what students really need to know.
Care for the subject—Authenticity also involves beliefs about the value of the subject matter and being committed to engaging students with the subject in important and meaningful ways. The ultimate goal is using connections between students and the subject matter to grow the authenticity of students. It might be something as concrete as genuine interest in the questions students ask and something as abstract as being fully invested in the course.
A process of becoming—Authenticity comes via a process that involves ongoing critical reflection. Teaching that is authentic continually revisits the purposes of education, and regularly inquires as to the origins behind and rationales that justify how certain norms and practices have come to be accepted.”
With this understanding of authenticity, it is easier for teachers and leaders to strive to this ideal, but also for teachers and coaches to educate their students and athletes on the importance of authenticity.
Poise is posed with a problem, however, in the realm of education, simply because of the adversities that accompany it. In a place of learning, there are failures, confusion, differing perspectives and problems that all arise in this context. In times of affliction, this is an easy time to conform to and act upon emotions that not always produce an admirable outcome. It is crucial for teachers to give meaning to their students in teaching authenticity and poise because then they are more likely to act in such a way if they understand why it is important to do so.
This plays along with courage in the sense that the act of being courageous is difficult because of the great unknown that accompanies it. There are many adversities, doubts and fears in leadership, and this is the reason courage is needed. Leaders need to be able to take risks, but even more importantly, they need to know that they will fail. This is incredibly true for teaching. I will have responsibility over so many other people’s children and have to make decisions on their behalf. Also, courage can play out in terms of leadership styles. Depending on the circumstances, a leader needs to be able to utilize transformational, transactional and lassez-faire leadership. All of these styles have their strengths and weaknesses, but a leader that knows how and when to utilize these styles will be able to show well-roundedness.
Also, loyalty is a core value because it is one of the most important for building relationships. A leader that is loyal is dependable, steadfast and faithful to their followers. They match their actions to their words and are unwavering in their pursuits. Teachers are part of a sense of routine and safety for most students which is the reason some come to school at all. This is a huge responsibility, but building those relationships with students is one of the most rewarding practices. Loyalty also comes with tough decisions such as, “what is more important?”. Is the task at hand more important? Or the tending to a relationship? Both of these can be the right answer at different times, but a loyal leader knows when to be the loyal to the task and when to show loyalty to others relationally.
The next core value of selflessness is very important in the regard of servant leadership. Servant leaders create community, empower others so they can succeed and act ethically to serve others. They put aside a lot of themselves to watch and help others thrive. A leader is not always the one at the front of the room directing and putting others in their place. I believe that a leader is very much a “guide on the side” as the Education department at Trinity would suggest a good teacher is. It is someone that comes along side another and builds them up and guides them in their learning process so they can succeed, while paying special attention and utilizing their unique abilities.
Lastly, respect is a core value that is earned. A leader needs to be considered worthy of high regard for respect to be acted upon by others. Respect is incredibly multi-faceted, being fuel to other traits such as trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. However, it is a value that needs to be consciously and continually worked on. In mosts cases, if respect is given, respect is received. But as soon as respect is allowed to be forgotten, the other traits also suffer. I believe that teachers and leaders need to give respect to receive respect. Especially in the realm of fitness, I have seen the importance of empowering others through positivity and encouragement and teaching and coaching to these traits. A lot of students do not set goals or set very low goals for themselves. When students do this, I see this as an almost disrespect to themselves from themselves. This is the reason leaders need to hold high, but attainable and challenging standards. I believe that many students can do more than they think they are capable of and if leaders allow students to set low goals, they will not reach their full potential. Leaders need to show that they respect their students more than the students respect themselves. This in turn, results in respect given back and aids in a relationship built on the pillars of courage, loyalty, selflessness and respect. Respect is one of the core values I see my classroom built upon. Respect for others, no matter what the differences may be between to create a safe, collaborative learning environment.
In choosing a career in teaching or pursuing leadership, the love of students and/or athletes and learning need to come before the subject specialization. One of the aims of Education is to aid in intellectual growth of students for their personal maturity. This means that the profession of teaching and coaching not only teaches students curriculum and fundamental basics, but is concerned for their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual states. A leader that chooses a subject matter over a love for building up others is less likely to tend to these critical needs and creates a less meaningful learning environment and as a result, disregards the importance of teaching to the whole person. This relays a message to others that their leader is not interested in bettering them, but solely interested in an authoritarian position over them.
Brodie Turner, Future Teacher.
Any individuals in sports and fitness who would like to share their voice, please submit to hank@hankfittraining.com